U.S. Senate: Martin Heinrich (center), D, who won the seat vacated by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D, in 2012, is running for re-election for the first time in a three-person race. Gary Johnson (left), a two-term Republican governor who switched to Libertarian to run for president in 2012 and 2016, was a late addition to the race. Aubrey Dunn, who has also switched from Republican to Libertarian, had been the original candidate. He convinced Johnson to run in his place, suggesting he could be a swing vote. Republican Mick Rich (right), a construction contractor, is making his first run for office. Morgan Lee/AP

U.S. Congressional District 2: U.S. House District 2 has been represented by three men since its creation in 1983: Joe Skeen, Harry Teague and Steve Pearce. Next year, it will be represented by a woman, either Yvette Herrell (right), R, or Xochitl Torres Small (left), D. Herrell is a four-term state representative from Alamogordo who has been a leader in the pro-life movement. Torres Small is a water attorney and former field representative for U.S. Sen Tom Udall who is making her first run for public office. She is the wife of state Rep. and former Las Cruces City Council member Nathan Small. Provided by the candidates

Governor: Michelle Lujan Grisham (left), D, and Steve Pearce (right), R, are both giving up seats in the U.S. Congress to run for governor. Lujan Grisham has represented Congressional District 1 since 2012, filling the vacancy when Heinrich first ran for Senate. Pearce has represented CD2 since 2003, except for one term. Both have past ties to state government. Pearce served in the Legislature from 1997-2000, while Lujan Grisham was secretary of health under Bill Richardson. While outgoing Gov. Susana Martinez had been plagued by low revenue throughout her two terms, the incoming governor will have an estimated $1.2 billion in new revenue. Associated Press

Secretary of State: Maggie Toulouse Oliver (left), D, lost to Dianna Duran in her first run for secretary of state in 2014. But she would get another chance two years later after Duran was convicted on fraud and embezzlement chargers. She is now running for re-election in her third race in the past four years. Former NMSU professor Gavin Clarkson (right), R, was appointed in July to replace JoHanna Cox, who withdrew after having run unopposed in the primary. Clarkson, a Trump administration appointee, had originally been a candidate against Herrell in the U.S. House primary. Libertarian Ginger G. Grider (center) is also on the ballot. Provided by candidates

Auditor: Wayne A. Jonson (right), R, was appointed state auditor by Gov. Martinez in December, 2017 after former auditor Tim Keller, D, was elected mayor of Albuquerque. He is running for re-election against Brian Colón (left), a former state party chairman who defeated Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Las Cruces, in the primary. Johnson, a former Bernalillo County commissioner, said he sees the auditor as the chief transparency officer, making his experience in the media industry in helpful. Colón said he has education and experience in both law and finance needed to continue the work of former auditors Hector Balderas and Keller. Provided by candidates

Treasurer: Tim Eichenberg (left), D, is running for re-election against Arthur L. Castillo (right), R, who is making his first run for public office, but does have experience in the Treasurer’s Office. Eichenberg, a former state senator and Bernalillo County treasurer, replaced James B. Lewis, who served from 2006-2014. He said he had to re-staff the office and oversee the implementation of a new computer system. He has clashed with the Martinez administration’s State Personnel Office and when he and other members of the State Investment Council refused to sign a code of conduct. Castillo is a former chief finance officer under Lewis. Provided by candidates

Attorney General: Hector Balderas (left), D, was a first-term House member from Wagon Mound in 2006 when the Democratic nominee for auditor was accused of inappropriate conduct with female campaign workers. Balderas was put onto the ballot at an emergency party meeting and went on to serve two terms as auditor before winning the attorney general post in 2014. He faces both Republican and Libertarian challengers in his run for re-election. Michael Hendricks (right), R, is the son of Baptist missionaries who spent much of his childhood out of the country. Libertarian candidate A. Blair Dunn (center) is the son of Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn. Provided by candidates

Land Commissioner: Patrick Lyons (right), R, is seeking to return to the office that he held for two terms, from 2003-2010. Democratic challenger Stephanie Garcia Richard (left) is a three-term member of the Legislature from Los Alamos who said she wants to return to the policies of former Land Commissioner Ray Powell, who served three terms. Lyons has been a member of the state Public Regulation Commission since 2015. He was land commissioner in 2007 when former developer Philip Philippou was planning a massive and controversial new housing development on state trust lands in Las Cruces. Michael G. Lucero (center) is the Libertarian candidate. Provided by candidates

House District 33: Bill McCamley, who has represented the district for the past eight years, vacated the seat this year to run for auditor, losing to Brian Colón in the primary. Micaela Lara Cadena (left), D, won a three-way race in the primary. She previously served as a policy analyst for Rep. Doreen Y. Gallegos, the House majority whip, and is making her first run for public office. Her Republican opponent, Charles R. Wendler (right), is a veteran campaigner, having previously run for state Senate in 2016 and County Commission in 2014. Wendler is a retired educator with 37 years in public education. Provided by the candidates

House District 35: Angelica Rubio (left), D, will be running for re-election for the first time. In 2016 she defeated Joseph E. Bishop to win the seat that had been vacated by Jeff Steinborn when he moved to the Senate. A veteran community activist, Rubio was named in May as the executive director for N.M. CAFé, a faith-based advocacy group that is perhaps best known for leading a successful effort to increase the minimum wage in Las Cruces. She is running against Jonathan Kyle Allen (right), R. He did not respond to interviews requests from the Sun-News. Provided by candidates

House District 36: Nathan Small (left) is seeking re-election to his second term, and has assured that he will remain in New Mexico and be able to fulfill his duties if his wife is elected to Congress. He defeated incumbent Andy Nuñez in 2016, helping to swing the House back to Democrat control. Small was one of five cosponsors of a bill to create a state ethics commission. He is being challenged by Republican David Tofsted (right), a retired engineer who worked for several years at White Sands Missile Range and said he wants to bring a more analytical perspective to the Legislature. Provided by the candidates

House District 37: Persistence paid off for Joanne J Ferrary (left), D, in 2016. After having lost twice to former Rep. Terry McMillan — the first time by eight votes — Ferrary made good on her third attempt in 2016, and is now running for re-election for the first time. She sponsored a bill last year to limit school testing that passed, but was vetoed by the governor. Her Republican opponent, Bev Courtney (right), has been equally persistent in pursuit of public office. A certified firearms instructor and strong gun-rights advocate, Courtney has twice run for the Las Cruces City Council. Provided by candidates

House District 39: Lee Cotter (right), R, who defeated Mary Jane Garcia to win a state Senate seat in 2012, is looking to return to the Legislature, this time seeking a House seat. He is challenging Rodolpho “Rudy” Martinez (left), D, who first won the seat in 2006. He relinquished it to Republican John Zimmerman during the GOP takeover of the House in 2014, but came back two years later to reclaim the seat. Martinez is co-chairman of the interim Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. Cotter sponsored only 13 bills and one joint resolution during his four years in the Senate. None passed. Provided by candidates

House District 52: After running unopposed in the last two elections, Doreen Y. Gallegos (left), D, faced challengers in both the primary and the general election this year. She defeated Jaime Gonzalez Castillo in the primary election and will now face David Cheek (right), R, in the general election. Gallegos was first elected in 2012. She is majority whip in the House, the only member of House leadership for either party from Las Cruces. Cheek declined to speak with the Sun-News. He told the League of Women Voters that “despair and pessimism,” caused by low rankings, were the state’s greatest problems. Provided by candidates

House District 53: Ricky Little (right), R, will be seeking reelection to his third term representing this southeast-county district. The owner of a business that transports oversized structures, Little has sponsored bills in the past two sessions seeking to restrict abortion and restore the death penalty. Little will face challenger Willie Madrid (left), D, in a rematch of the 2016 race that Little won by 147 votes. Madrid, a former football coach, said he got a late start in the race two years ago, and will be able to run a full campaign this year. He claimed to be more representative of the district’s values. Provided by candidates

Public Regulation Commission District 5: Stephen H. Fischmann (left) defeated incumbent Sandy Jones in a bitter Democratic primary in which each candidates accused the other violating campaign laws. Fischmann helped lead the opposition to El Paso Electric’s proposed rate increase in 2016, and has opposed efforts by the company to build new generating stations. He will face Republican Ben Hall (right), who served on the PRC from 2011 to 2014. Hall, who won a close three-candidate primary, has been a vocal critic of the current commission, saying many commissioners only show up in Santa Fe for the weekly meetings. Provided by candidates

County Commission District 1: Lynn Ellins (left), D, and John Zimmerman (right), R, will be vying to replace Billy Garrett, who is completing his second term and prohibited by term limits from seeking reelection. Both Ellins and Zimmerman have served in public office. Ellins was county clerk from 2008 to 2016. He was the first clerk in the state to issue same-sex marriage licenses. He was also clerk when an employee was arrested for stealing personal identification from voting records. Zimmerman was a member of the state Legislature for one term, where he was a strong supporter of the military. Provided by candidates

County Commission District 3: Benjamin L. Rawson (right), R, is seeking re-election for the second time after having first been appointed to the commission by Gov. Martinez in 2013 to fill out the term of Karen G. Perez. He was elected chairman at a time when he was the only Republican on the commission, which he said shows respect from fellow commissioners. Ben is the son of Lee Rawson, a former state senator who serves on the State Investment Council. He is being challenged by Shannon Reynolds (left), who served on the city council in Milford, Ohio, and ran for county treasurer in 2016. Provided by candidates

County Commission District 5: Inappropriate comments posted on social media by former County Commissioner John Vasquez have resulted in the current District 5 race between Kim Hakes (right) and Karen Trujillo (left). Hakes, R, a retired banker, was appointed by Gov. Martinez to replace Vasquez, after he stepped down, in February. Hakes lost to Vasquez in the 2016 general election. Trujillo, D, director of a teachers' learning alliance at New Mexico State University who won a four-way primary election in June, said she was motivated to run after reading about the comments posted by Vasquez. Provided by candidates

Assessor: Leticia Duarte Benavidez (left), D, defeated Chief Deputy Assessor Paul Ponce in the Democratic primary. A former County Commission member and a longtime county employee, Duarte Benavidez said she wants to improve the management of the office. She is being challenged by Republican Christopher P. Schoonover (right), who is running on the slogan “taxation is theft.” That doesn’t mean all taxation is theft, Schoonover clarified, only that above what is obligated. He said he would encourage taxpayers to file more protests. The current assessor, Andy Segovia, is completing his second term and is ineligible to run for re-election. Provided by candidates

Sheriff: Kim Stewart (left), a former internal investigator for the county who has previous law enforcement experience from California, defeated incumbent sheriff Enrique “Kiki” Vigil in a five-way Democrat primary. Vigil had a tumultuous four-year term that included a brief takeover of the Doña Ana County Detention Center and numerous lawsuits. Stewart will be challenged by Republican Todd Garrison (right), who was first appointed sheriff in 2006 to complete the term of Juan Hernandez and won re-election twice. He was prevented by term limits from running when Vigil won in 2014. Provided by candidates

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